It had been several weeks since Voyager had successfully passed through the
Nebula. Seven of Nine was glad to be alone no longer, but the as the novelty of it
wore off she soon immersed herself in the Astrometrics lab once more. The ship
was currently in a sparsely populated area of space, and so when the long-range
scanners detected an occupied planet, the Captain decided to stop to ship and get
some more supplies.

"Is there something I can do for you, Seven?" asked Janeway, as the young
woman approached her on the bridge.
"Requesting permission beam down to the planet, Captain. I need some new
hardware for astrometrics."
Seven was being direct and to the point, as usual. 
"Permission granted." The captain replied. "I suggest that you go with Ensign
Kim. He is looking for new parts too, and leaves in an hour.
"Understood, Captain." Seven turned and walked off, oblivious as usual to the
stares of male crewmembers. 

Ensign Harry Kim looked up as a familiar ex-borg crewmember swept into the
transporter room.

"Hello, Seven" Harry greeted her cheerfully. "You're right on time as usual."
Seven appraised him coolly. "Of course I am. It is inefficient to keep people
waiting." 

Harry winced. When was he going to learn not to make stupid comments to her?
She never hesitated to cut people down and make them feel inferior. What he
couldn't work out was why she did it. Was it arrogance, or did she just not
understand the concept of ego?

Seven walked over to the transporter and stood beside him. Harry couldn't help
being mesmerised by her body as she moved. Who wouldn't be? Slender and
sinuous, she possessed the instinctive grace of a feline. Unfortunately, she also
possessed the feline quality of being stubbornly independent. The young ensign
had tried form a relationship with the woman in her early weeks on Voyager. But
he now knew that she wasn't yet capable of giving (or receiving) normal human
affection, and so he had to keep his fantasies in check.

"Two to beam down." 

The planet's surface was a dry, dull looking place. The city they arrived in
consisted of weathered stone buildings and sand-blown streets. The marketplace,
however, was bustling with alien species and vendors of electronic goods. The
pair soon acquired the parts they needed.


"I would rather live on spaceship than a dreary place like this." Remarked Harry
as they walked up an alleyway to find a discrete place to transport. 

"I agree," said Seven, "the dust would be very bad for computer circuits."

Suddenly a group of rough-looking natives stepped out blocked their path. Harry
whirled around to find more closing in behind them.

"You come with us!" one of them commanded in a guttural voice.

"And what if we refuse?" Asked Seven stubbornly.

The man leered and raised an alien-looking phaser to her.

"No!" cried Harry in desperation. He flung himself at the native and succeeded in
knocking the phaser out of his hand, before someone shot him from behind. The
thing he saw was Seven reaching out to catch him as he lost consciousness.

 Harry woke a while later to find himself lying on a cold dirt floor, in almost total
darkness. His mouth felt like sand paper and he groaned as he tried to sit up.

"Ensign Kim, are you alright?" Seven's unmistakable voice came from somewhere
in the darkness. She sounded unfazed by the recent events. Her voice,
unemotional as it was, caused him great relief.

"I've felt better. Where are we?"

"We appear to be in some kind of holding cell." She replied. "Our attackers said
want to ransom us for Voyager's technology." Her voice hardened. "They will
fail."

Harry tried to tap his comm badge, but it was gone. Seven reached over and 
dragged him up so he was leaning against the stone wall with her. Her arms felt
just as cold and damp as he did.

"Why did you throw yourself in front of me? It was irrational to expect that you
could defeat them all. You are were lucky to be only stunned." 

Harry sighed and held his aching head. Explaining things like this to Seven could
be very difficult, not to mention frustrating.

"I don't know why I did it. I only knew that I just couldn't stand by and let him
shoot you."


"I do not understand. Being stunned would not permanently impair my abilities."
Seven sounded irritable at having to explain something so straightforward.

"It is because I care about you, Seven. Don't you care about any of your fellow
crewmembers?"

"No." She replied simply. "I have a duty to assist you all, but that is all." 

"I don't believe you. Are you telling me you would feel no sorrow if everyone on
Voyager was replaced with strangers?"

She considered this in the darkness for a while.

"I believe I would feel some discomfort." Seven admitted finally, sounding
surprised at herself.

"I'm glad to hear that." said Harry. "Now, if you don't mind, I want to rest for a
while until my head stops pounding."

The cell was silent for a long time after that, and the ensign felt himself drifting
off again despite the chill. 

"Ensign Kim, your head is on my shoulder" announced Seven abruptly.

Harry started guiltily and sat up again. He must have slumped over as he dozed.

"I did not mean for you to move, ensign. I was merely reflecting that it is a
pleasant sensation."

Harry pondered this for a while. Then he draped his arm around her shivering
body and held her until they both fell asleep.

They were awakened a few hours later by a sudden stream of intense light. Harry
shielded his eyes and saw Captain Janeway standing in the open doorway, along
with what looked like some native policemen.

"I'm glad to see you two are alright" she said. "Those thugs should have known
better than to abduct my people."

 "Captain" Harry said weakly, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.
She tapped her com badge. "Two to beam directly to sickbay".

After finally persuading the doctor they were fine, Ensign Kim and Seven of Nine
were released and given the rest of the day off. Harry would have liked more
time to work the stiffness out his joints, but he knew he was needed in
engineering in the morning. "After all," he mused "we encounter disasters and
hostile aliens so often that nothing would ever get done if we got a week's
holiday each time." He returned to his quarters and played his clarinet for a while.
That always managed to relax him.

 Later that evening, a visitor appeared at Harry's door.

"Seven!" he said in surprise. "Um, is there something I can do for you? Are you
still upset about what happened today?"

Seven strode into his quarters and draped her body across his couch, looking for
all the world like she owned the place. It was almost predatory the way she
scrutinised him.

"I am fine." She announced. "I just wanted to spend a bit of time with you."

Harry stood there in his T-shirt and trackpants for a moment, feeling rather
bemused. As far as he knew, she had never gone out of her way to be sociable
before.

"Well sure, I would be glad to have your company"

He sat down on the couch beside her, and was even more startled when she
smiled gratefully at him. 

"You know, Seven, I don't think I've ever actually seen you smile before."

She frowned thoughtfully. "You must realise that a smile had no meaning in the
Borg Collective. But in the months I have been on Voyager, I must have
subconsciously learned to associate various facial expressions with moods. I have
been conditioned to use them, too."

"I never thought of it that way before." Harry was intrigued; yet discomforted by
the way this woman managed to analyse everything scientifically. 

There was an uncomfortable period of silence, and then Seven shifted closer to
him and clasped his hand. Harry felt his pulse begin to race as he felt her warm,
silky-smooth skin. He wondered if she was going to demand to have copulate
with him, the way she had that day in the Jeffries tube. Would he be able to resist
her again? When she showed no signs of further movement, he relaxed.

"I never realised how comforting physical contact could be, until you held me
today." Seven said finally, sounding almost vulnerable. "It is not as reassuring as
a telepathic link, but it's better than being alone."

Harry was glad that it was him she came to for companionship. Her sweet warm
scent reminded him that she indeed very human, and he wanted to help her
rediscover that. The pair spent the evening sitting on his couch, watching old
holomovies. Despite the ache in his groin caused by her close proximity, Harry
decided it was an enjoyable way to pass the time. 

~~~~~~~~

"Seven of Nine to ensign Kim. Respond."

Harry cursed as the interruption made him drop his tricorder inside a computer
console he was fixing. Her imperious summons did nothing to improve his mood. 

"Kim here. What is it?"

 "I wish you to join me for dinner today, at 20:00 hours"

"I'm sorry Seven, but I have plans already."

There was a short silence. "How about tomorrow then?" She sounded a bit more
hesitant this time, and Harry regretted speaking harshly.

"Sure, I'll see you then."

 This time, Harry was expecting Seven when she appeared outside his quarters
wearing her usual painted-on body suit. She seemed reluctant to enter, however. 

"Is something wrong, Seven?" he asked, feeling concerned. "I have prepared
dinner for you, and I borrowed some new holo-novels from Tom."

"When you would not see me yesterday, I felt distressed." She said. "I was
worried that you would not want to see me again. This is a new emotion to me,
and very confusing."

Harry flushed in shame. It was easy to think that this woman was impervious to
emotional pain, but in reality she was just as susceptible as anyone else."

"I'm very sorry I hurt you." He told her honestly. "I think you are starting to learn
to fear rejection, which is a very common thing to be afraid of."

"It is a weakness." She stated dispassionately.

"But it also means that you are learning to care about people, which is a good
thing. Anyway, um, won't you come inside and have some apricot chicken?"

After dinner they sat on the couch again. Seven was close enough that their legs
were touching, and Harry was starting to find it difficult to breathe normally. Her
luxurious gold hair was escaping its bun and curling in erotic tendrils down her
neck.

"I do not want to watch holo-novels tonight."

"What do you want to do... then?" If it were any other woman, Harry would have
been certain she was about to seduce him. But Seven was an enigma, and her
mysterious gaze betrayed no emotion.

"I want you to show me other enjoyable forms of physical contact. I believe
humans practice something called massage?"

Harry was thoroughly confused again. Why the sudden interest in physical
contact? But then, Seven had always been interested in learning new things.
Perhaps this was just another phase. Now his face felt like it was burning up, and
a sheen of sweat formed on his skin. How could anyone expect him to remain
calm in a situation like this?

"Well actually I do know some rather effective ancient Asian techniques. If
you..um....lie on my bed over there, I could demonstrate."

"I can't believe I just said that" he thought.

Seven gracefully picked herself up off the couch and wandered over to his bed. 

"But this is Seven." He admonished himself. "I am only showing her massage
techniques." Despite this, he felt his knees weaken as he followed her.

"Ok now, you need to lie on your front." 

Harry sat on the bed beside her and ran his fingers up her slender back as she
closed her eyes. He started kneading her pressure points and she smiled slightly in
pleasure.

"No," he decided finally, "this isn't working very well. You really need to remove
your clothes for the full effect. You can change in my bathroom and wrap a towel
around yourself."

Seven turned to look at him. "If a massage is better with no clothes on, then I do
not need a towel. It is illogical. Nakedness in personal quarters is not prohibited
by regulations.


Harry flushed at the through of seeing her naked. It would probably be more than
he could stand.

"Look, if you want me to do this, then you have to do as I say." 

Seven did not like being ordered around - he could see the internal conflict in her
eyes. But she agreed in the end, and returned wrapped in his fluffy white towel.
Harry got to work kneading her back again, and soon Seven was moaning in
pleasure. Yet she was not the only one enjoying herself. The Ensign marvelled at
the feel of her firm, supple shoulders. Every time she groaned he imagined that
they were doing...something else.

"This feels very pleasurable. I want you to massage my front, too." As she spoke, 
Seven abruptly rolled over, and Harry barely got his hands out of the way in time. 

"N-no" he stammered, eyeing her barely covered chest, "I can't do that!"

She pushed herself up until her face was just inches way, and turned her steely
blue gaze upon him.

"Why not?"

"That is the kind of thing only lovers do." He replied, although it sounded weak
and illogical even to him.

"Then let us become lovers."

"Seven, I don't think you understand what you are asking. To have a sexual
relationship, you should be in love. Or at least that is my belief." Harry amended. 
His mind, though, was screaming all sorts of nasty things at him. Was he insane,
to be turning down such an offer?

"How do I know if I am in love, then? That is another illogical human emotion."
She sounded frustrated now.

Harry wondered how he was supposed to explain the concept of love to an
ex-borg. A dictionary would describe love as warm affection, but she wouldn't
know what that meant either. Seven's impatient glare was making concentration
even more difficult, so he just started saying the first ideas that popped into his
head.

"Well, when you are in love with someone, you care about him so much that you
don't want to be with anyone else. You think about him all the time, and the very
sight of him makes you happy. You would do anything to please him."

"That is ridiculous. All I want is physical pleasure"

Harry was getting annoyed now at her callousness. "Well then, I suggest you go
and find someone else to provide your pleasure. I'm sure there are any number of
men on this ship who would gladly help you."

Seven stared at him for a while. "Very well, I shall do that then."

She disappeared into the bathroom to get dressed, and Harry sat there feeling like
a fool.

"I just have one final word of advice, Seven."

"Yes?"

"Chose men who aren't already attached. Hordes of jealous women would make
life very difficult on this ship."

Tom Paris wound his way through the mess hall towards Harry.

"I've been hearing some interesting rumours about you, my friend" he announced
as he sat down with an enthusiasm that suggested he would not be ignored. 
Harry sighed and looked up from his data pad.

"What rumours?"

Paris bent closer, as if to be sure his voice didn't carry too far.
"I've heard that a certain young woman has been spending a lot of time in your
quarters lately." He grinned conspiratorially. "Surely you can tell me what is
going on?"

"Nothing is going on." he replied seriously.

"Surely you don't expect me to believe that?"
Harry sighed again, knowing he would not be able to stop the inquisition unless
he told Tom the truth.

"Seven wanted to learn about...physical pleasure. I told her to find some other
man to help her."

A look of shock appeared on Tom's boyish face.

"Have you gone mad?" He asked. "An incredibly beautiful woman wants to have
sex with you, and you sent her away?"

"Look, you know I'm not the type to have a one-night stand. Seven has no
romantic feelings for me, nor I for her."

The withering look Paris gave him said it all. "Well, I'm not going to interfere,
but I still think you're making a big mistake." 

His expression suddenly looked slightly worried. "Um...you won't tell B'elanna I
said that, will you?"

As he watched Paris leave, Harry thought about what he had said. It obviously
wasn't true that he had no feelings for Seven. Her body was a major turn-on, of
course. But part of him wanted to protect the vulnerable child that he knew must
exist beneath that coolly perfect shell. He wanted to hold her in his arms at night,
and ease her loneliness. He just couldn't keep her out of his mind. In fact, he
realised with a groan, his feelings for her perfectly matched the definition of love
that he had recited last night. How could he have been so stupid as to fall for her
all over again? There was no way she could return his feelings. She had only
wanted to spend time with him to satisfy her curiosity, he thought wryly.
 
Seven of Nine strode into the mess hall and appraised the inhabitants. She
ignored Kim and Paris, they were no use to her. She contemplated Commander
Chakotay for a moment. He certainly was a handsome example of the human
species. But she knew that he still did not like or trust her very much. Suddenly
she spotted an engineering ensign in the corner who looked a lot like Harry. He
had the same lean build, silky black hair, and beautiful brown skin. She licked her
lips appreciatively and approached him. He didn't have Harry's innocent,
expressive eyes, but he would do just fine.

"Ensign Tay" she announced in a commanding voice. The man looked as
surprised as his male companions, but expertly covered it by pulling out a chair
for her. 

"What can I do for you, my lady?" 

Seven ignored the chair. "Do you or do you not have a girlfriend?" she asked.

"I am single at the moment. Why do you ask?" 

His friends couldn't help grinning as they watched the exchange. Seven eyed the
crowded room and decided continue the discussion elsewhere. "Come with me."
she ordered.

Ensign Tay seemed very enthusiastic to be part of her experiment. As soon as
Seven had entered his quarters, he turned on the security lock for his door and
turned to seize her mouth with his own. 
"So this is a kiss" she thought, feeling a bit disappointed. Although his lips were
pleasantly warm, they did not evoke the excitement that she had expected. Before
she had finished analysing the sensation, he broke away and started fumbling with
the fastener of her jumpsuit. Soon her shoulders were exposed, and his mouth
and hands were everywhere, kissing and stroking in a forceful, impatient manner.
Seven just stood there, wondering when she was supposed to start enjoying it.
Then the man pushed her down onto his bed, and she gasped as it brought back
memories of Harry's bed the night before. His hands had been so gentle and he
had always tried so hard to please her. As Ensign Tay pressed the full weight of
his body onto her, Seven imagined that it was Harry on top of her, providing the
caring touch that she so desperately wanted. When she was with Harry, she felt
that it was safe to let her fears and vulnerabilities show. He would always try to
make her feel better. Ensign Tay startled her out of her reverie. He had pulled her
jumpsuit down to her waist and was fondling her breasts, breathing in short,
excited gasps. Seven was starting to feel like some kind of plaything. She
certainly wasn't getting much enjoyment out of the situation, and the man's
impatience was beginning to annoy her.

"Stop" she commanded. "I have had enough."

When he just ignored her demand, she forcibly sat up and pushed him off. "I said
stop!" 

Ensign Tay was breathing heavily and looked at her through shocked, glazed
eyes.

"You are not pleasing me" she announced, "I am leaving."

"You can't leave me like this! Please, let me try again!" He reached out for her
again, but she stood up and slapped his hand away. Fortunately he was
levelheaded enough not to force the issue. As Seven fastened her clothes, she felt
him watching her with a frustrated, helpless expression. Maybe an explanation
was in order.

"I apologise for wasting your time" she said, not unkindly, "but I have now
realised that I care for someone else."

Tay struggled with this, and finally decided to be civil about it.

"That's alright. Thank you for considering me, anyway."

Harry was in a melancholy mood as he played his clarinet. He hadn't seen Seven
for at least a week now, and every time he thought of her he imagined her in the
arms of some other crew member. But then he felt annoyed at himself for letting
it bother him so much. She was, after all, probably having a wonderful time. And
he wanted her to be happy, didn't he? If she didn't even want him as a friend, then
that was her problem. Suddenly the door chimed. "Who could it be at this hour?
He wondered. Perhaps it was Tom, wanting his holo-novels back.

"For heaven's sake Tom, couldn't you wait till morn..." he stopped, speechless
when it was Seven who appeared in the open doorway. She looked like a startled
deer, anxious and rooted to the spot

"It is late" she agreed finally, "I will come back some other time."

Harry wondered why she was suddenly being so reticent. Seven had never looked
this nervous before.

"No, wait!" he commanded, surprising both of them. "Please come in."

Once in his quarters, Seven paced up and down, not knowing what to say. Harry
attempted to break the ice.

"So...um...how are your social experiments going?"

"They are not going well" she snapped. "I found someone to help me, but I could
not go through with it."

 "Why not? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Harry was suddenly afraid for her, but
Seven ignored the question.

"Repeat for me what you believe to be the requirements for being in love" she
demanded.

Harry did just that, growing more confused by the second.

"You have confirmed my belief" the woman announced, still pacing. "I am in love
with you."

Warning bells exploded in Harry's head. Was this another ploy to get him into
bed? But, on the other hand, he had never known Seven to lie. 

"Are...are you sure?" he asked cautiously.

She faced him slowly, looking suddenly fearful. "Do you not reciprocate this
feeling? I am feeling distress. This is unacceptable!"

"Of course I love you, Seven. I just hope you are sure of your feelings."


She smiled at him and stepped closer. "I am sure. Now I want you to show me
how to kiss you."

Harry backed away nervously. He felt like a hunted animal the way she crept up
to him.

"Well...its rather straightforward really...you just put your lips against mine and
things proceed from there...or I could..."

He was silenced as she caught and kissed him fiercely, wrapping her slender arms
around his shoulders. He felt his knees melting as a tingling sensation spread
from his mouth and set his body on fire.

"You are...the most incredible...woman I have...ever met!" he gasped in between
kisses. Seven responded by moaning and pressing her body more tightly against
him. She loved the feel of his warmth and closeness. Harry realised that the
tingling sensation was starting to pool between his legs, and he hoped Seven
would not feel what she was doing to him. He should have known better.

"Make love to me now" she ordered breathlessly. 

Harry was reluctant to go that fast. He wanted to enjoy this stage to its fullest.
Seven was having none of that, however. When he didn't move, she grabbed his
shoulders and propelled him to the bedroom.

"Resistance is futile" she said added in a husky voice.

That phrase had inspired terror in the hearts of millions. But to Harry, it was the
sexiest thing he had ever heard.

Seven pushed him down on the bed and pinned him between her knees. He
reached up to touch her face as she tentatively stroked his chest muscles.

"This is much better than it was with Ensign Tay."

"Please, Seven," he said in a pained voice, "no more analysing."

"Very well. Computer, dim the lights" 

Abruptly the lighting was reduced to a warm, ambient glow. Although her face
was shadowed, Seven's body was outlined by an aura of golden light. Harry
stared with a dream-like fascination as she removed some clips from her scalp,
and blonde hair tumbled down like silk 


She turned her attention to removing his t-shirt. His exposed nipples hardened,
and there was soon a smooth sheen of sweat where her hands roamed. The bulge
between his legs was straining at his pants as her hands drifted lower down his
stomach. Harry realised that he was losing the inititive here. He was supposed to
be teaching her, after all. He sat up and twisted her around to undo the zip at her
back. The soft material peeled away like a second skin, and she moaned as he
reached around to cup her warm breasts in his hands. They were even fuller when
not confined by her suit, and Harry marvelled at the delicious soft feel of her.
Seven jumped up and peeled away the rest of her suit and underwear, then the
next moment removed his as well. She gazed appraisingly at his aroused state,
while Harry rose and kissed her again. He pulled her down on the bed and rolled
over so that his full weight was resting on her. 

"Is everything alright?" he asked softly. 

Seven gazed into his eyes and wriggled slightly against him, almost sending him
over the edge.

"Everything is very alright" she replied. "What now?"

  Harry took that as his cue to continue. He spread her legs and felt the warm
dampness there. As he stroked her tenderly she started trembling, her eyes closed
in ecstasy. Soon he positioned his body on top and entered her slowly. Satisfied
that she was not in pain, he began to thrust faster and faster until their minds
were overwhelmed by the intense pleasure of it all.

Afterwards Seven and Harry collapsed in a hot, exhausted heap. Harry gathered
her up in his arms and just held her close for a while, savouring the warm and
softness.

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked, although fully expecting an affirmative answer.

"It was incredible." she replied sleepily. "But I also enjoy how you are holding me
now. Can we do this every night?"

Harry felt a rush of affection for this enigmatic woman who was finally opening
up to him. "Of course we can. It is about time you moved out of the cargo bay,
anyway."

She was quiet for a long time after that, and he thought she had drifted off to
sleep. 

But then she stirred one more time. "Please, don't ever let me go."

"I won't." He replied. "I promise."